Don't Forget to Breathe
by RavenAshford
Summary: A little child is exposed to death, of Xerxes no less, when he goes on his first visit to a Freddy Fazbear's in '87. Not expected being the day after The Bite, and those children were killed, right? You can't blame Dante when he needs money, and takes a job at the Freddy's where his sister had met her untimely demise. Maybe being a security guard isn't all it turns out to be...
1. Chapter 1

**_*EXTREMELY LONG FIRST CHAPTER* :)_**

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><p><em>Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria.<br>__"A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life.__"_

_A once happy place turned into a nightmare-ish hell._

_Xerxes pulled on the bottom hem of my shirt, trying to pull me from my stare. We stood in the parking lot, in front of one of many Freddy's Pizzaria's across our planet. It took weeks for both me and my little sister alike to convince our mom to take us. At the time, I had been 12 and Xerxes 7. It was June 27th, 1987 that day, and it was my first time at one of the establishments. Xerxes had been complaining while Mom held her hand to guide her through the passing cars, about the smell of the unkempt sanity conditions and how bored she was. However could she be bored? Such a concept was lost to me in a Freddy Fazbear's. I remember the doors sliding open, technology that was only starting to sweep supermarkets internationally. The vivid smell of stale bread and generic cheese filled my lungs with every breath._

_The animatronics characters greeted us at the entrance, and Mom gave the purple bunny her stink eye. I had a deep feeling like something was pulling my stomach towards Earth's core, and that made me aware that Mom felt anxious being here. The bunny's waving movement seemed a bit too... human, although I didn't focus on that much. Mother sat us at a table near the stage's edge, taking the local newspaper out of her purse and ordering each of us two slices. Xerxes gave me one of her slices after seeing I wolfed both of mine down as soon as the paper plates were brought around. Freddy and company sang their songs while Xerxes identified the characters to me._

_Pointing from a large yellow chicken to the bunny from before. "That's Chica and over there is Bonnie..." she trailed off with an uneasy tone. I tilted my head in confusion, and poking her cheek. "Xerxes?" she shook her head. "Oh! Sorry. There's also Foxy, who comes out and plays with the kids." I looked around for anyone who would look like a "foxy". "Where is he?" she grinned mischievously, to where I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. "He's back in Pirate Cove," I gulped at her pause. "Wanna go see him?"_

_I wasn't so sure that place sounded like we weren't allowed back there. For a twelve-year old boy, I was a huge scaredy-cat, unlike my adventerous sister. I nodded slowly with hesitation, Xerxes waiting for me to agree completely before jumping up towards Mom. "Can we use the bathroom?" Mom put down her newspaper and chuckled. "I dunno, can you?" her New-York accent was thick. Xerxes pouted when Mom ruffled her hair and gathered her stuff to stand up. "You don't have to chaperone us, I know where it is. I'm a big girl after all!" Mom frowned in disapproval and sat back down. "Alright, I suppose you are..." she drug out her last sentence with hugged Mom around the neck, and Mom kissed her cheek while patting her back._

_"15 minutes." We waved at Mom as we took off. More specifically, I followed Xerxes. My eyes nervously darted around my surroundings and my heart pumped in my chest. There were no security cameras thankfully. A thud came from around us and I yelped, almost screaming. Xerxes laughed and pointed to the ground where her glasses fell out of her dress pockets. "Sh-Shuddap." I choked out, and Xerxes's face turned from its usual cocky grin to a concerned frown. "Sorry." She apologized frankly before pressing onwards. We arrived finally at a tented area with a sign labeled "Keep Out". Xerxes scoffed at it, pushing a curtain aside._

_She waved me inside, to see a animatronic within the darkness with its head bowed, as if powered off. If so much as a pebble dropped or a fly landed on me, I would die from fear right on the spot. The fox character donned an eyepatch and a hook where its right paw would be. Xerxes poked it, lifted its eyepatch and danced around it as if it were a rain god. She even gave it a swift kick to its left leg to prove a point. "They must flip a switch to turn it on... But unless its an individual switch to each their own, they all should turn on by one switch..." Xerxes had loudly whispered "boo." into its ear. She looked back to me horrified and with realization. "Unless its on..." she finished my sentence for me. "Or the costume's not an animatronic..."_

_The suit came to life suddenly, its eyes opening and hook digging into Xerxes's back. Her bloodcurdling scream rang throughout the large darkened area._

_-Mom's PoV-_

_I checked my timer. It read 19 minutes. I strolled up to a worked calmly but quickly. A killer had dressed up as an employee for Freddy's a couple states away just yesterday, and that made me as uneasy as hell to be here with my kids. Good god, 7 kids could've done something with their lives. "Sir, where are your restrooms?" he pointed down a dimly-lit hallway, but could see the end to. "Umm, don't you mean down that way?" I asked, pointing where Dante and Xerxes went towards. He stopped sweeping and leaned on his broom towards me,. "With all due respect Ma'am, but I've been working at this building for six years. I would assume I know where our restrooms are located. That down there is where we keep our animatronics, and Pirate Cove-" he said, deepening the pit in my stomach. I almost puked and was given an adrenaline rush when I heard a pre-pubescent girl scream bloody mary. Xerxes's scream._

_-Dante-_

_Foxy's imposter climbed the rafters while holding Xerxes, whom was turning pale and limp in his grasp. The man found a small escape hole through the ceiling, dropping Xerxes six to nine feet to the ground. I dived for her, and caught her all the while scraping my stomach a good bit. She was coughing blood by then, her eyes turning glassy real quick, accompanied by the life leaving her body at an exhilarating rate. She held on strongly, being the strongest willed sibling, trying to live. She gripped the cloth over my shoulder, smiling up at me. "I'm coming home, I'm coming home, tell the world I'm coming home..." her hand fell down, losing its grip, as she wheezed out one last breath. I turned her over, the back of her beautiful yet expensive yellow dress stained by her own blood. I cried into her neck, hugging her so tightly as if that would bring her back. Mom and an employee ran into the large room, to see me breaking down. Mom gasped, crying and hugging us both while the employee bowed his head silently. "It's all my fault... I could've told her not to go, but I was too scared to tell her..." Mom just assured me it wasn't my fault after all, and that couldn't make me feel better by lying._


	2. Chapter 2

-Currently / August 3rd, 1997-

I sighed, walking into the doors of my new job on time. Under no circumstances would I have taken this job, but I am getting extremely desperate for money. Never again would I dare to step foot into this place. Like I had much of a choice nowadays. Apartments are becoming hard to rent... A message began playing as soon as I laid back in my chair, and it had been obviously pre-recorded.

_Hello, hello? Uh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night. Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about. Uh, you'll do fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay?_

_Uh, let's see, first there's an introductory greeting from the company that I'm supposed to read. Uh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know. Um, "Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced."_

_Blah blah blah, now that might sound bad, I know, but there's really nothing to worry about. Uh, the animatronic characters here do get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No. If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for twenty years and I never got a bath? I'd probably be a bit irritable at night too. So, remember, these characters hold a special place in the hearts of children and we need to show them a little respect, right? Okay._

_So, just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit. Uh, they're left in some kind of free roaming mode at night. Uh...Something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long. Uh, they used to be allowed to walk around during the day too. But then there was The Bite of '87. Yeah. I-It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?_

_Uh, now concerning your safety, the only _real_ risk to you as a night watchman here, if any, is the fact that these characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll p-most likely see you as a metal exoskeleton without its costume on. Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit. Um, now, that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices, especially around the facial area. So, you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort...and death. Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they pop out the front of the mask, heh._

_Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up. But hey, first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night._

I shrugged off his warnings about the animatronics, yet the thought of it very much being possible haunted my mind. This damn place will follow me throughout my life it seems, without fail. Currently I just turned 22, whereas Xerxes would've been 17. Mom died 3 years ago, from a heart attack. Doctors then said it was from stress, but I knew better. The incident here turned her hair grey at a fairly young age, and the stress wore her so thin that her fast heartbeat became irregular, and eventually gave out.

I'm surprised I haven't just walked out into traffic and killed myself to stop the pain and guilt. I checked the monitors lazily, to see Bonnie, Chica, Freddy and Foxy behind Pirate Cove's curtains. And then there rested a new face, a raccoon-like creature sitting in the back with Freddy and company. The guy stopped talking, but not before he mentioned something of a crazed animatronic who roamed the halls as the others did, but in the most random fashion. I sat my lunch down, eating a couple bites of the pepperoni roll I brought along with homemade habanaro barbecue sauce. I've tried the barbecue sauce before, stupidly popping a whole one in my mouth right after eating the pepperoni roll... let's just say it didn't end well...

I checked the monitor to find that Bonnie had already gotten out, and was in the backroom with the costumes. This threw me off, and placed the lid down. Being frantic was my passion after all, being here again kept me on my toes. The raccoon had moved, and in saying that, taken a different route than any of the others... Speaking of which, he only moved when the camera wasn't on him, which would end up wasting all my power. I wouldn't survive through the first night! How pathetic is that?!

_[To Be Continued...] _


End file.
